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From the SH Archives: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills… Lisa Vanderpump… LET’S GO BACK TO 2002…

Originally posted January 3, 2012… RE-POSTED December 22, 2102

NOTE: A SH reader was surprised to learn that Lisa Vanderpump is a trained actress. Yes, Lisa IS a trained actress… and she plays her part well on the RHOBH. The following explains how Lisa and Ken met and a bit about her training as an actress…

Lisa Vanderpump

A very insightful look back at Ken Todd and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Vanderpump… in 2002!

“… She and Ken usually spend three or four days a week in London, and run the business for the rest of the week “by mobile” from Gloucestershire. This arrangement clearly works.

Lisa doesn’t know quite how much she and Ken are worth now, but they sold four bars to the Trocadero group in 1998 for £10.5 million. “Bars are sold on a multiple of their profits,” she explains, “and all our current places are doing very well.î

They met in – what else – a bar in 1982. Ken made his first fortune in the rag trade, and owned Corks bar in Kensington. Lisa, who had made her acting debut at nine playing Glenda Jackson’s daughter in A Touch of Class, and had earned enough by the age of 20 to buy her own London flat, was manning the door of Corks one night for a joke. “I was being a smartarse,” she recalls.

“I tried to charge him to come in.” She was 21, he was 37. “She was like a breath of fresh air coming into my life,” says Ken. “I thought, hello, he looks interesting,” says Lisa. They married six weeks later.

Working together, they claim, has helped to sustain the marriage. “We complement each other,” says Lisa. “He’s the impulsive one, I’m more conservative. He’s always looking for a new venture.”

Ken says: “We both like the same things and have similar ideas. We’re not only lovers, but friends as well.” Involving herself in Ken’s business from the start, Lisa devoted herself to it full-time in 1995, giving up acting after a four-year stint in Los Angeles culminated in that Baywatch role.

Had working with David Hasselhoff turned her off acting altogether? “No, no, he’s a lovely man, although he’s far too tall,” says the diminutive Lisa. “They kept saying, ‘put her on a box’, and I’d be saying, ‘no, put him in a trench’.”

She and Ken moved back to England partly because they didn’t want Pandora, now 16, and Max, now 10, to grow up around the “Hollywood b-s” of Los Angeles.

“The earthquake pretty much catapulted us back, too,” she adds. That 1994 tremor, registering 6.6 on the Richter scale, threw them out of bed at 4am. Their Beverly Hills’ mansion stayed standing, but three out of Ken’s four LA pizza restaurants were destroyed. Given that Ken, according to Lisa, “hadn’t done nearly enough while we were in America, apart from play polo and tennis,î the natural disaster seemed a timely spur for a change of scene and – for Lisa – of career.

“When you get to a certain age,” she explains, “the acting business gives you up, rather than you giving it up.” Now that Pandora has expressed thespian aspirations, Lisa, at 42, has had to face her own ambivalence about the business.

On the one hand, it was “very good” to her, but on the other, and especially in Hollywood, there was pressure to conform to a physical ideal. “I’ve been lucky that I’m slim and have a good bust,” she says. “I work out and don’t stay too long in the sun, but I haven’t had any work done. On our 21st anniversary, I told Ken that I was the same size as when we married; it’s just that everything is two inches lower.”

P.S. don’t worry about the “please read” gossip…I certainly don’t and I’m sure most of your other readers don’t either – I never would have heard about it had you not addressed it head on which was exactly the thing to do. so much water under the bridge. Your readers trust you and aren’t going to question you since this is such a great forum with respectful commentators and intelligent posts.

My husband and I were just saying that Lisa and Ken actually seem normal and grounded for having the empire they have acquired but “how” did they accumulate their empire! Thanks for the find! There is a special place in my heart for a successful man that walks with dignity and a small well dressed dog!

I love them, it reminds me of a time with my grandparents and parents today. The worst word in the world is either bloody or bugger, and that has some meaning behind it “you little bugger” (utter mischief maker) that was really rude or “now I’m bloody angry” the worst word my grandparents generation would utter and you knew you WAS in trouble if they said that! Time to run and hide in the coal shed!

That’s interesting about “bloody.” I have to say, the F word doesn’t bother me unless it’a actually referring to sex, and then it sounds crude to me. Otherwise, it’s just a word for exclamation or emphasis. Same with the S word. I use it when I stub my toe or break a glass, but I would never use it to describe poop.

I understand. I love accents but I cant do them so whenever I would try to do his i would just add bloody in the conversation and he finally had to point out that he never uses that word and why. I was like oh ok. But I do like to listen to him talk. His name is George so I always kid mom “mom you should marry that Beatle guy” He still sends her roses every birthday and Christmas. I adore him. Comes in once a year and mom says thats good enough. She aint lookin to be takin care of no man at this point in her life.

I grew up adoring the Beatles, Dad was a massive fan and had all their records. I name my first dog after a Beatle, my Great Pyrenees, Lennon, and am happy to own his great neice Lilly and (after another Beatle), he great nephew, George.

Ya and the thing is, a lot of eightes stuff is prettier. The poofy hair on many women really is kinda flattering, (sans the sky high bangs, of course), and the little extras, like lace collars or broaches were cool. Now we all have flat hair and plain Gap clothes…lol.

Lol it is like that show “I love the ’80’s strikes back”! But seriously the ’80’s were so great, I am afraid nuthin will ever compare. I always say I wish I was born earlier than ’77 so I coulda been like in my twenties then, that woulda rocked!

I did have the velcro shoes though . My brother wore his waaaay longer than I though he should have. But they had lil pockets on them that he put his lunch money in and between that and his casio watch he was totally tubular. Oh how I miss my favorite LAJean outfit with matching hightop shoes. Such good times. really. And swatches… loved those things. Loved them. And Maybeline electric blue mascara. And Gloria Vanderbuilt perfume for special occasions Navy for everyday wear. awe yall these things were just so great. But this sumbish got tangled up in my hair more times than I can remember

Hi Made…This is your mission if you chose to accept it ;) I know the full video/movie of this with Lisa playing the Femme Fatal is on YouTube, I watched it many months ago…so, my darling, do you think you can find it, cause I bloody can’t!! Aussie’s say “bloody” all the time, we even had an overseas ad for tourism where the catch line was “Where the bloody hell are you”? ie when are ye gonna come to Australia for a holiday….there was some controversy over it though! Anyway, if anyone can find the video you can! :)

Made, thank you for posting the St Trinians link, I loved that show as a teenager, it was so “naughty”! It was so much fun when they travelled overseas. You really do know your stuff!! Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! xox

Ms SH, I do apologise. And thank you for providing the link and not telling me to find it myself, that I appreciate. I realise your site is THE SITE for all things Housewives, and you’re right, I should have checked before I asked Made. Again, didn’t mean to offend anyone, or diminise your hard work. In future I’ll search before I ask.